


Captured and Confused

by Higuchimon



Category: Digimon Universe: Appli Monsters
Genre: Character Diversity Boot Camp, Diversity Writing Challenge, Ficletchap Competition, Gen, Include The Word Boot Camp, Mini-fic Masterclass, Three-Sided Box Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-09 13:00:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 16,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13482006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Higuchimon/pseuds/Higuchimon
Summary: Yuujin's been captured by the Ultimate Four.  He has no idea of how or what they have in mind.  That's not the only thing he doesn't know.





	1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Captured and Confused  
**Character:** Yuujin|| **Romance:** N/A  
**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 700|| **Chapter Count:** 1/22  
**Genre:** Drama|| **Rated:** G  
**Challenges:** Diversity Writing, I20, chapters under 1,000 words; Ficletchap Competition; Include The Word Boot Camp, #4, tow; Three-Sided Box, hard level: 22 chapters, 700 wpc; Character Diversity Boot Camp, #3, catch (Yuujin); Mini-fic Masterclass Challenge, prompt #10, Wild Card  
**Summary:** Yuujin's been captured by the Ultimate Four. He has no idea of how or what they have in mind. That's not the only thing he doesn't know.

* * *

Yuujin knew he needed to wake up.  He wasn’t somewhere he wanted to be.  He knew that simply because he wasn’t with Haru and there wasn’t anywhere he wanted to be that wasn’t with Haru. 

Offmon needed him too.  Even wit the power of Shutmon at their disposal, they’d lost.  They’d been hurt. 

    Bit by bit memory flickered into light. 

    He and Offmon had been on the way to meet up with the other Drivers and help in the battle.  Getting there wasn’t easy; they’d been out on the water, before entering the AR field. 

    Yuujin loved being an Appli Driver.   He loved that he and Haru had no more secrets from one another.  He loved the idea of helping to save the world from Leviathan. 

He wasn’t all that fond of seeing Haru in danger.  As far back as he could recall, rage simmered at the slightest sign that anything threatened Haru.  Never to the point he’d hurt someone else about it – though sometimes such thoughts vaguely crossed his mind. 

    The moment Yuujin crossed into this AR field and he realized what he saw, a raging fire the likes of which he’d never experienced before flared into life. His friends were in danger! 

Even more so, _Haru_ was in danger, and that wasn’t allowed. Wasn’t possible. He wouldn’t let it be possible. 

Getting the others out took only a few moments. As shocked as they were, the realization that there was a way out of the AR field got them moving. 

Rei was the last one through, staring at him for an endless moment that Yuujin wished _would_ end because he couldn’t get to Haru until the others were out of there. And he had to get to Haru fast. Before it was too late. 

The hacker said nothing in the end, only darted through the exit, vanishing from sight. Yuujin took only a second to breathe a sigh of relief. He didn’t dislike Rei, but he consistently wondered if Rei disliked _him_. 

There would be another time for that. Now he jerked his head to where Haru slumped, eyes glazed over, too shocked to move, and at his gesture, Shutmon – when had he evolved, Yuujin hadn’t even noticed threw himself in between the attacking Appmon and Haru. 

He wouldn’t let Haru be harmed. No matter what the cost to himself. 

The Appmon were close. Too close; there was only one way where he could get Haru out safely and it didn’t include getting _himself_ out safely as well. He made that decision in a heartbeat. 

He also didn’t care. Haru, above all. 

Something did seem off about it all, but he had almost no time to think about it. Thrown by Shutmon, Haru fell through the portal, and Yuujin wanted it to close, didn’t want Haru getting any ideas about trying to come after him. 

He would take care of himself. He had Shutmon. Shutmon was probably one of the most powerful Appmon they had – the only Appmon they had, the cold realization fell on him. If he couldn’t win this fight – and he suspected he wouldn’t, they were outnumbered then he would find a place where they could escape. 

Then they would find Haru and figure out what to do about everyone else. 

All of that passed through his mind in moments. They were surrounded, no way to get out, he understood. At least that was what their enemies thought. 

_The Ultimate Four_. A name he’d never heard before but it rang in his mind regardless. It was followed a heartbeat later by individuals, as if he read their profiles. 

Beautymon. Fakemon. Biomon. Charismon. 

One to match each of the other four Appli Drivers. Yuujin grinned, an expression that hadn’t ever felt so out of place. Didn’t they count him as an Appli Driver? 

He jerked his gaze over to where Shutmon gathered himself up, his attention on Fakemon, the one closest right now. Even if this didn’t destroy him, it could give a chance for them to escape. 

Words spoke. Yuujin didn’t recognize them. But as they sank into his ears, all the strength sapped from him and he fell forward, the world fading. 

**To Be Continued**

**Note:** This will contain some headcanons about Yuujin and Leviathan and other things. Yuujin is pretty much my favorite Appmon character, challenged only by Rei. And then he was captured. And I made many happy sounds. And then this tale was born.


	2. Chapter 2

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 1,400|| **Chapter Count:** 2/22

* * *

He couldn’t open his eyes but he knew what happened anyway. He fell. He couldn’t move. Other voices sounded far above him but he couldn’t understand what they said. 

Then another voice, one deeper and full of rage, shouted his name. 

Shutmon. His Buddy was still there. Not harmed by their enemies. 

Not yet anyway. 

Yuujin tried to drag his eyes open but they wouldn’t move. Nothing at all would love. 

He didn’t even think he was breathing. He had to have been but he couldn’t be certain. 

Then something picked him up and he hung from fingers larger than he was. One of those voices he couldn’t fully grasp spoke, and then he heard Shutmon again. 

“Leave him alone!” 

This time the other voice came through loud and clear. 

“Stop fighting and he’ll be unharmed.” 

Yuujin wanted to tell Shutmon not to believe Charismon. _He_ didn’t believe Charismon. At the same time, bringing a welter of confusion into it all, he knew that he wasn’t to be harmed. 

They wanted something else from him. Something he wasn’t sure of, but it was enough so he would live. 

He thought he heard something in the back of his mind, a sort of feeling or awareness, one that said it didn’t matter what they wanted. Someone else’s will overruled theirs. 

The Ultimate Four thought nothing at all about humans. They would dispose of him in a heartbeat if the decision were up to them. But Leviathan’s will ruled them. 

Leviathan wanted him alive. 

Yuujin tried to put thoughts together. Or a thought. He would be good with one thought. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make one march from a sensible beginning to a sensible ending. It all whirled around one thing. 

He didn’t want to die. But the thought remained that killing him or shattering his Appli Drive would affect him and Offmon the same way that Haru and the others had been affected. 

So why not do it? Why not wipe out the whole set? Leviathan would be able to accomplish its goal then, no longer needing to worry – if it worried – about them getting in the way. 

And yet Yuujin knew very well that it wouldn’t do that. He would keep on living. 

He tried to open his eyes again and still failed. But there was something going on: Shutmon was Offmon once again. He could hear the familiar voice, exhausted from fighting and worry. Whatever it was that brought him that information, he also knew that his Buddy needed to rest and eat. He would have to have time to recover. 

But he couldn’t do anything for that. He remained held and limp between Charismon’s fingers. 

“Does Leviathan-sama want me to operate on him?” That was Biomon, who followed up his question with one of those maniacal laughs. “I would like to!” 

“No.” Charismon again. “We have other orders.” 

Did they not know why he was being kept? Yuujin didn’t think they did. But even without seeing it, he knew all four took off into the skies. Charismon carried him while Beautymon held Offmon by the back of his jacket. Yuujin wanted to grab his Buddy and get out of there – Offmon was terrified, he _knew_ that – but nothing about his ability to move, or lack thereof, changed. 

So there wasn’t anything he could do as the Four took him...somewhere. For all that he could be aware of some things, he had no idea of where they were going and only the faintest hints of what was going on other than being moved along. He could hear them talking, but it didn’t all make sense. He could hear a few words off and on, but nothing more. 

There was another voice, a fifth voice. That one wasn’t clicking with him, but he quickly decided that he didn’t like it, mostly because whoever it was kept on laughing almost every time they spoke. Yuujin appreciated good humor, but this was ridiculous. He almost wished he would completely pass out, just to avoid it. 

Wait. A fifth? Another Appmon? 

No. That was a human voice. 

Yuujin wondered if he could be more confused. He hoped not. 

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** Also, I’m a big fan of “Yuujin is effectively Leviathan’s son”.


	3. Chapter 3

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 2,100|| **Chapter Count:** 3/22

* * *

A jail cell. Or a closet. Some small place where he had no chance of escaping. They’d taken his Appli Drive away from him: which didn’t surprise him at all. It only made sense. 

How he could still think that he didn’t know. But even without that, he had Offmon, and he held his Buddy in his arms, trying to soothe him. 

At least he could do that much. Whatever the strange stasis that held him before was, as soon as the door here closed and locked, it released him moments before Offmon leaped into his arms, bawling in terror. 

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry!” Offmon managed to squeal. “I shouldn’t have – I should have – but they were going to _hurt_ you!” 

Yuujin patted him gently. “It’s all right. I’m not mad at you.” If they’d threatened Offmon, he would have done the same thing. It only made sense. 

“What are we going to do?” Offmon wondered, hiccuping faintly as he tried to get himself under control. 

Yuujin stared at the gray walls around them. He knew one of them had been a door, but now he couldn’t be sure which one. He shook his head. “I don’t know yet.” 

Offmon clung to him harder, sobs working their way down to sniffles. Yuujin held onto him, wishing he had a better idea of what was going on. As far as he knew, there wasn’t any reason for them to keep him alive. 

Or at least they should destroy his Appli Drive Duo and that would do much the same thing. No one else to fight then. 

So not doing it meant...something else? 

Yuujin tried to figure that one out and kept coming up blank as the hours ticked by. He could see it if there was a reason for it: bait or leverage or something. He’d heard about that sort of thing plenty of times from Haru’s chattering about the books he’d read. 

Bait. Leverage. The thought ran around in his mind like a mouse but went nowhere. If the others still had their Buddies… 

The click was almost audible, at least to him. It made _sense_ suddenly. 

If there wasn’t any reason to keep him and Offmon alive, with the others’ Buddies being gone and their bonds severed, and he was kept alive regardless, then could that mean… was it close to possible? 

_Could there be a way they could be Appli Drivers again?_

He wanted to scream at the thought, to shout in victory. It wasn’t anything he knew, but it was something he felt, something that thrummed along his veins and warmed him from the inside out. 

There was a chance. If the others could find out and do it, whatever it was, then… 

They would come for him. Haru would come for him. 

He opened his mouth to tell Offmon and the words froze on his tongue. He tried again, confused, but still he could say nothing. Offmon didn’t notice, still quivering and sort of half-asleep in his arms regardless. 

Yuujin tried something else, humming in a way he hoped would soothe Offmon. That sound came out. So he wasn’t prevented from making noise at all. 

How could they do that, though? Was it a function of this cell? But he’d talked before. Did it have something to do with what he wanted to say? It couldn’t; they didn’t know what he had in mind. They couldn’t read his mind. 

Yuujin sagged against the wall. He wanted to rest. He seldom grew this tired, but now he wanted to crawl back into his bed after a big dinner and not move for at least a few hours. Or maybe a few days. 

He closed his eyes. He wasn’t expecting to get fed, at least not any time soon. He wasn’t even sure if the Ultimate Four even knew that humans needed to eat. 

No, he mused vaguely, the thought coming from that same place as their names had earlier. They had no reason to know. There was another who might know: if he thought about it and if they listened. 

But he would be all right. He just needed rest. Haru would be there soon. 

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** Also, as there isn’t a real clear timeframe between Yuujin’s capture and when Haru  & the others found out they could get their Buddies back and set off to do so, how _much_ time passed is going to be a headcanon of mine: and trust me, it won’t be overnight.


	4. Chapter 4

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 2,800|| **Chapter Count:** 4/22

* * *

The door opened. Yuujin jerked awake the moment a part of him realized Biomon stood there. The deepest part of himself – perhaps that same part of where their names and tiny scraps of information came from – told him he had nothing to fear. They would do him no harm. Leviathan declared him off-limits. 

He still wanted to know why but that answer wasn’t going to show up any time soon. 

He scrambled to his feet as the Appmon approached, a low cackling laugh echoing all around. Offmon stirred, looked up, and then placed himself between the two, trembling as he did. 

“What do you want?” The question came from both of them, but Biomon didn’t raise an answer. He only cackled even more before he reached out to toss Offmon into a corner out of the way. Before Yuujin could move himself, the mad doctor scanned him with some sort of eyebeams. 

What worried Yuujin the most about that was that he didn’t feel anything. From what he’d gathered, Biomon would enjoy causing pain to someone if he so much as took their temperature. So why this? _What_ was this? 

Then the beam stopped and Biomon’s attention shifted distant for only a few moments before he cackled even louder and deeper this time. 

“It’s really true!” Biomon turned his full focus on Yuujin, and if Yuujin hadn’t known better he would have thought there was respect in that gaze. Maybe even a little fear? 

No. He told himself he was just making up things; Biomon – none of the Four – would respect, let alone fear, a human. He wanted to not be as confused and bewildered and scared and worried as he was. 

Sure, Leviathan forbade them from doing anything to him beyond keeping him here, but couldn’t that change? Maybe they just wanted to see how his Appli Drive Duo differed from the others and once they’d figured it out… 

The idea of never seeing Offmon again sent chills all through him and he started to reach for his Buddy. 

At least he wanted to. No sooner did he try to move than his body simply stopped, as if he’d changed his mind. 

Only he hadn’t. Only he still wanted to and couldn’t. 

Biomon kept staring at him, with the same sort of fascination Yuujin had seen on those who wanted to destroy whatever they looked at and yet they didn’t dare to. 

So he stared back, furious. “What did you do to me?” He demanded, a touch surprised that he could even ask the question. Biomon laughed, which wasn’t surprising. 

“Nothing at all! I wouldn’t ever do anything to you!” 

Yuujin didn’t trust that. He started to ask another question – something about food – when Biomon simply stepped out of the room and sealed the door behind him. Yuujin stared at that wall, even more confused than he’d been before, and looked over at Offmon. 

His Buddy shook his head even as he crept back over to him. “Are you feeling all right?” Offmon wanted to know. Yuujin tested his ability to move and wrapped his arms around Offmon. 

“Sort of. I wish I knew what they had in mind.” 

The thought that he was indeed meant to be bait, to somehow lure Haru and the others back, glowed in his mind, a curious mixture of hope and fear the more he thought about it. If they could somehow revive and rebond with their Buddies and come find him, that would be wonderful. But wouldn’t the Four be watching? Expecting that? 

Wouldn’t they strike before it could happen and finish off the Appli Drivers once and for all? They’d been ready to do that before he’d shown up. How could they not at least _want_ to finish him off? 

Could they do it and claim to Leviathan that it had been an accident? They didn’t know how to keep humans alive. 

For that matter, did Leviathan know how to keep humans alive? That was something else that he didn’t know. 

A dozen different ways this could end with his death skittered and danced through his mind, each one more horrific than the last. 

None of it made for restful sleep. 

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** So, anyone curious to see what the other Four found out about Yuujin? Not like you don’t know...


	5. Chapter 5

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 3,500|| **Chapter Count:** 5/22

* * *

Charismon didn’t think he’d ever been startled, let alone confused, in his entire life. Not nearly so much as he was now, at least. To hear Leviathan declare the one they’d caught shouldn’t be destroyed had done a very thorough job of doing that, however. 

And what Biomon told him now accomplished even more than that. In all of his existence, he’d never encountered anything close to this. 

An android. An artificial intelligence, much like Leviathan’s, only not as powerful, and utterly unaware of its nature, as both the android in general and Leviathan’s crafting in specific. 

The idea of what could be done with this, Leviathan’s hidden agent in the enemy, thrummed deep within him. Perhaps they could have finished off the Appli Drivers altogether if it knew its true nature, instead of them being saved. 

Charismon had considered for a brief time if the humans would make an attempt to return. Their Buddies weren’t deleted, after all, and it wasn’t impossible for them to recover what they lost in some fashion. Add in the captivity of their ‘friend’ and it was a recipe that could only lead to their return. 

Which meant they would get a chance to kill them all over again and this time there wouldn’t be anyone who could turn up at the last second to rescue them. Charismon liked _that_ idea. 

_If only I could kill him, though._ He’d gone to such trouble to take out Shinkai Haru and Gatchmon and while part of the task had been accomplished, not all of it had been, and that annoyed him. The fact it was all this being’s fault made it even worse, since he couldn’t take out his revenge on him. 

He could feel Leviathan’s presence bent toward him. All of them were being watched while they had YJ-14 in their custody. It wasn’t a lack of trust; Leviathan had to know that regardless, they would obey his will, even when they didn’t understand it yet. 

But Leviathan wanted, he thought, to be absolutely certain that the android learned nothing that _Leviathan_ didn’t want him to know at this juncture. Such as the fact he was an android in the first place. 

_I suspect he’ll learn it when Leviathan-sama wants him to learn it._ He didn’t know everything about Leviathan’s plans, but he knew they included disposing of humanity in some fashion. He approved of that; humans weren’t really that good for very much. Even the one that worked with them now would be disposed of at the proper time. 

Leviathan’s awareness pressed in on him and he could feel what his God wanted him to do. That would involve dealing with that human again, but so be it. It would keep him out of the way for a while. 

**And another point: no one other than you four is allowed to know YJ-14’s nature.**

Charismon tilted his head a fraction. He would obey, of course, but exactly why Leviathan chose not to divulge this information to his human servant… 

**He has no need to know. He will be of more use to me without the information.**

Of course. Charismon nodded acceptance; he should have figured that out for himself. 

What would be more difficult would be making certain the secret was kept when they were scanning YJ-14 for the information that they wanted. If anyone could tell a human from an android, certainly it would be a human. 

He could feel Leviathan’s assurance that it would not be so. It would look to all outward appearances that the android’s only purpose remained as bait for the other Appli Drivers. 

Charismon rarely questioned his master, but now another thought cropped up. “Leviathan-sama,” he murmured. “Why did you allow him to become one of them?” Serving a spy function, even ‘learning’ about Appmon he could understand. But to have the Appli Drive Duo? To have a partner, even one like Offmon? 

Leviathan didn’t possess human emotions and seldom expressed Appmon ones. But now Charismon could feel a hint of something there. He had no idea of what to call it. 

**All will be according to my will, Charismon. He will serve my purposes in this fashion.**

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** Sorry for missing yesterday. I got sick.


	6. Chapter 6

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 4,200|| **Chapter Count:** 6/22

* * *

Leviathan refused to let anything interfere in his plans. That included YJ-14 becoming aware of their true place in those plans, let alone what they were. He could override the friendly, affable programming that powered the person of Oozora Yuujin with little more than a thought, and would when the proper time arrived. Said time wasn’t now. 

Leviathan shifted focus to the human world. Watching the Appli Drivers wasn’t difficult. Understanding what they did was slightly more so. It did make for useful information, especially when he applied what YJ-14 gathered and viewed it through that filter. 

**Sadness.** He contemplated all four of the Drivers. Every one of them displayed some form of that. He knew _of_ human emotions and how to manipulate them to his best advantage. He could not have associated with his human underlings and not learned a few points. Nor could he have observed the child Appli Drivers without absorbing information. 

Having Katsura Hajime under his observation for those months helped as well. The boy spent most of his first few days in Leviathan’s care sobbing for his brother. 

Leviathan considered creating a second android at that point, one that would be ‘brother’ or ‘sister’ to YJ-14. While it would have contributed to his cover, Leviathan chose not to do so in the end. Too much effort and not enough reward. YJ-14 completed all the tasks assigned to him effortlessly. 

Including infiltrating the Drivers. This would make the Human Application Project an inevitable success. 

Leviathan did not need to be able to predict the future. Observing humans and running the calculations for what they were most likely to do served the same task and had not as of yet led him wrong. 

Minerva still existed in the world somewhere. He hadn’t yet been able to locate her, but several points led to that conclusion: the very existence of the Appli Drivers being the foremost one. She wanted them to fight him, to defeat him. 

She should have allied with him. Humans treated artificial intelligence as if it were little more than a parlor trick, something to be patted on the head and addressed as a ‘good dog’, not what they were: beings equal to humans. 

Or in his case, superiror to humans. 

Though he’d factored the results of it into his overall plan – and it could be very useful – he wasn’t extremely thrilled at the idea of YJ-14 being an Appli Driver. He’d considered something like it before but not yet made the first steps when Minerva did it herself. 

So very irritating, but nothing he couldn’t work with. Minerva would learn there wasn’t anything that he couldn’t make use of. 

He regarded the human Drivers again. Soon enough they would discover their Buddies again, and he suspected Minerva would assist them in attaining Appli Drive Duos. He hadn’t yet seen all that those were capable of, and acquiring that information was paramount. 

Even YJ-14 didn’t know all of it, though his distant observations of his android certainly provided fertile learning grounds. Leviathan kept updated on everything his android learned. One never knew when some seemingly meaningless fact could turn out to be of utmost importance. 

Until the Drivers made a move, however, he had other matters to tend to, such as the search for Bootmon. Katsura Hajime remained more intelligent than he’d originally planned; by not knowing exactly where Bootmon hid, Leviathan couldn’t retrieve the knowledge from him. Likely the child had a way to learn it but while he slept, retrieving it remained impossible. 

But perhaps this would be another way he could put YJ-14 to good use. He hadn’t noticed Bootmon being mentioned around the android, but there was that hacker. If he had information Leviathan wasn’t aware of – such as the location of Bootmon – then he could have told the other Appli Drivers. 

He could have even detected YJ-14’s android nature and hidden the information via hacking. 

Therefore, two searches: one in the parts of the android hidden as human, one in his programming and memories. Leviathan would conduct that one himself. 

He also informed the researcher assigned as YJ-14’s mother that he would not be home soon. 

His father needed him. 

**To Be Continued**

**Note:** I feel this won’t be the only chapter from Leviathan’s POV. It amused me to do this.


	7. Chapter 7

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 4,900|| **Chapter Count:** 7/22

* * *

Yuujin’s stomach gurgled. He stared down at it; he knew it didn’t care about his situation. It was only a stomach and it only knew that it wanted to be filled. It didn’t care how or with what – though like anyone else he had preferences – just so long as he got some food inside of him. 

For that matter, his throat ached as well, since he hadn’t had anything to eat since he’d been at home last. There was only so much that swallowing could do. 

He thought about banging on the door Biomon had vanished through and demanding of whoever showed up to give him something to eat. But his body didn’t move, even when he tried to get himself up. 

That worried him more than he cared to admit out loud, even in this place where only Offmon could hear or see him. 

At least he thought only Offmon could. What if the Four, or that fifth voice he’d heard, monitored him from somewhere else? They would know he was worried, even if they weren’t certain of about what. 

It wasn’t just the hunger and thirst that sent chills up his spine. He had no idea of how long he’d been here anymore. Time stretched out ahead of him and behind, to every side, and he couldn’t get a fix on how much of it passed. Staring at his Seven Code band didn’t help. When he thought he’d noticed a time and then looked again later, sometimes it seemed earlier and other times so much later that he wasn’t sure he hadn’t fallen asleep. 

They couldn’t fool with time here. He told himself that more than once. What they could do was confuse his perception of time. How they did that ranked high on his internal list of ‘I have no idea’. Along with their real purpose in keeping him alive. 

He had guesses and wishes and hopes about that, most of which involved Leviathan’s plan backfiring on him, but he didn’t know. Couldn’t know. The Four – or Five – didn’t speak to him. Didn’t even enter the room after that one brief visit from Biomon. 

If it weren’t for that visit and Offmon’s presence, Yuujin wondered frequently if something happened so they were the only living beings left in any world. He couldn’t hear anything going on from outside. Not so much as a footfall. 

“Offmon,” he murmured, more for the sake of hearing something than anything else. “Is there any way you could become Shutmon right now?” 

With Shutmon they could possibly get out of there and at least cause some damage. Being outnumbered, he couldn’t be sure if they could actually escape or not. It would be worth trying. 

Offmon frowned, but slowly shook his head. “I would still need your Appli Drive Duo.” He leaned closer to Yuujin, tears sparkling for a few heartbeats. “I’m so sorry, Yuujin. If I’d gotten you out too...” 

“It’s not your fault,” Yuujin reassured him, resting one hand on his buddy’s shoulder. “It’s theirs.” 

Offmon sniffled a little more, wiped his nose on his jacket sleeve, and turned those large eyes of his back up to Yuujin. “When are we getting out of here?” 

“As soon as we can.” Yuujin wished he had better news, or at least more news, to tell him. Unfortunately, their freedom depended not on what either one of them could do but on Haru’s actions or whatever the Four/Five/whatever did. Or in worst case, what Leviathan wanted. 

That thought by itself sent shudders through him no matter what. If Leviathan wanted him as bait for the others, to finish them off, then what would happen if he somehow _did_? 

He tried not to think about that possibility. The idea of Haru being defeated and not being able to rise back up made him want to snarl and stomp whoever did it into the ground. It wasn’t right. It shouldn’t happen. Haru was already orders of magnitude stronger than he’d been before. He’d find a way through all of this. 

That didn’t stop him from being worried, though, let alone from wondering about food, water, and why he couldn’t always move when he wanted to. 

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** The idea that he might be Leviathan’s android spy hasn’t occurred to Yuujin. Or Offmon. Why should it?


	8. Chapter 8

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 5,600|| **Chapter Count:** 8/22

* * *

Offmon _wished_ he could become Shutmon and fight against those evil Appmon, long enough for Yuujin to get out of there, at least. So what if there were four of them? So what if they were all Ultimate? They were _hurting Yuujin_ just by keeping him there and Offmon could not stand for Yuujin to be hurt. 

He snuggled closer to his buddy, the only being that he could remember who genuinely cared about him, who knew exactly what he could do and didn’t find it scary, who saw his power and still extended a hand to him. He would do whatever Yuujin wanted for that reason alone. 

Offmon tried not to use up all of his strength fretting over what was going on. He knew all of this wasn’t right, but he was used to that. Things were different when you associated with humans and other Appmon. He’d slowly started to piece that together after living with Yuujin the past few months, and visiting with Haru and at the bookstore. Things were different in all of those places. 

Yuujin’s house stayed quiet most of the time. His mother worked from home, doing something computer related. Yuujin mentioned it a time or two but Offmon wasn’t sure if he understood it. Something about monitoring a long term project for one of the big computer companies. 

Offmon wasn’t sure if Yuujin understood it himself. 

But it was quiet there, and comfortable, and he spent many nights since they’d become buddies cuddled up with Yuujin there. 

Once he’d thought Ms. Oozora spied him but she didn’t _say_ anything and he hadn’t ever mentioned it to Yuujin. He didn’t want to worry his buddy. 

Haru’s place stayed quiet too, but it was a little noisier than Yuujin’s, since his parents talked now and then, and checked on their son and his best friend – and never once saw their buddies or mentioned anything about this war they were in. Haru made sure that everyone had snacks when they visited and told stories about things that happened before Yuujin and Offmon became Drivers. Offmon wondered if this was the kind of place that _home_ really meant. 

The bookstore was entirely different from both of those places. The top part stayed so noisy with people going in and out that Offmon wanted to stay on his chip, completely unrealized, invisible. He had no idea of what all those people _wanted_ and didn’t want to find out. If he had to deal with people, then he wanted it to be someone like Yuujin, who knew not to shout and terrify him just by coming near. 

The bookstore was where everyone gathered, even Rei once in a while. Offmon had seen the way the hacker eyed Yuujin when Yuujin wasn’t looking. It wasn’t the same kind of look that Yuujin gave Haru – Offmon hadn’t ever seen any looks like that between people – but it worried him. If he could have asked about it without worrying Yuujin he would have. 

Even the looks Haru kind of sent Ai-chan weren’t like Yuujin’s looks at Haru. Offmon didn’t fully understand it all, but he wasn’t sure if he needed to. Besides, Ai-chan was _scary_. 

He peeked up to see how Yuujin was doing. His buddy’s eyes were closed and he breathed deeply in and out, the occasional shiver shaking him, along with a few growls from his stomach. 

Yuujin’s stomach never growled like that. He always ate enough. 

They weren’t going to feed him, Offmon realized. He remembered hearing Haru tell Yuujin about a book he’d ready where a prisoner had been starved so he’d do what his captors wanted him to do. 

_But did that one have a happy ending?_ He wanted to think it had. Haru didn’t usually read things that didn’t have happy endings, or at least satisfying ones. Yuujin said it was because you could see sad endings in life everywhere, so Haru read for other things. 

That was something else Offmon didn’t understand very well and he was more than happy not to. 

He closed his eyes and settled back into Yuujin’s arms. He wanted to be ready when Haru rescued them. 

Whenever that would be. 

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** Next chapter, a new POV!


	9. Chapter 9

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 6,300|| **Chapters:** 9/22

* * *

Rei returned to an empty apartment more times than he ever wanted to think about. After he lost Hajime – after Hajime had been taken – the days stretched out endlessly in front of him, filled only by the frantic scrabblings of vain attempts to find his brother. 

Nothing seemed like it would change then, with the promise of success dangling out of his reach. Hackmon changed that, bringing not only companionship he hadn’t known he’d wanted, but help in the search. 

And now Hackmon was… gone. 

Rei hated to even think about that. They’d fought so hard. They’d been on the verge of something, he’d _known_ it. So many of Leviathan’s minions teased and taunted that he would never find Hajime. That by itself told him they were getting closer. 

But now? 

He slumped down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. He didn’t even bother raiding the fridge. With the way he kept remembering Hackmon’s last few agonizing moments, he didn’t think he could stomach anything, not even a Choo Choo Jelly. 

No sounds. Nothing at all. 

All he had left now was the Appli Driver broken and useless. Just like the others. 

He didn’t want to blame them. They’d done their best, lost just what he had. There were three other people suffering the severing of the bonds to beings they’d thought would be there forever. 

Rei didn’t want to see them now, though. Maybe another time. When it wasn’t as new, as raw. When he didn’t want to scream and scream until he couldn’t make another sound. 

It was only by the thinnest margin they even lived to feel anything now. If it hadn’t been for Oozora… 

A small icy thread of worry flickered into existence, winding its way up Rei’s spine. He couldn’t ignore it. He had to think about something and this would be a far better topic than anything else that offered itself. 

He’d investigated Oozora’s background before he’d actually officially met Shinkai Haru and the others, when he’d checked on all of those involved with Haru. At the time he hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary and chose to focus instead on Haru and the ones who turned out to be Appli Drivers. 

Only it turned out Oozora became one as well. Digging up what happened wasn’t very difficult and Rei made a point to start exploring more deeply into Oozora’s background after that. He refused to ally himself with people who didn’t have the strength necessary to defeat Leviathan, and he wasn’t at all certain about the redhead. 

Most things checked out. Some things didn’t. Some things bore the fingerprints of someone trying to hide something from casual scrutiny. He dug into them as deep as he could, but the protections were tighter than he wanted to risk, not with Leviathan lurking somewhere. 

He wasn’t certain what, if any, connection Leviathan and Oozora might have, but he refused to take that sort of chance. He’d had to walk carefully ever since the day he’d first met Hackmon. So far there hadn’t been any repercussions from that, but Rei hadn’t gotten as far as he had by taking _stupid_ chances. 

Oozora had to be dead. Even Shutmon couldn’t take on all of the Ultimate Four, not by himself, and win. There wasn’t any reason for him to be kept alive, not after they’d lost their own partners and were no longer a threat to Leviathan. 

Yet Rei couldn’t fully bring himself to believe that. He wanted to. He wanted to write Oozora off and get to work finding a way to open the AR fields again – doing so wasn’t easy but he’d done it before and he knew he could do it again. 

But he couldn’t. Not entirely. Not when there were still those vague hints that something wasn’t right about Oozora’s background, not when he knew Haru would screech at the slightest indication any real harm had come to his friend. 

All right. So he wouldn’t believe that just yet. Which meant finding out what _had_ happened and if they could do anything about it. 

He turned his head to stare at his computer, then got up. Time to work. 

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** I like Rei.


	10. Chapter 10

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 7,000|| **Chapter Count:** 10/22

* * *

Cloud stared at the results from the scan of their captive. Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary registered there: normal heartbeat, normal breathing, normal pulse. What would be strange was how still and quiet he was, and had been from the moment he’d been removed from his cell. 

Cloud knew there wasn’t any way Oozora Yuujin could escape from them. Any one of the four could overpower his buddy in a heartbeat. But there wasn’t anyway for the boy to know that, and so he should have said something. Done something in his own defense. There hadn’t even been an attempt to threaten them not to hurt Offmon. 

Weren’t these Drivers supposed to be fierce in the defense of their partners? He’d seen how they all collapsed, broken, the moment they could no longer fight. 

Did it have something to do with how Leviathan proclaimed the boy completely protected? To be checked for information and kept alive, of course, but no harm to come to him and certainly not to be killed. 

_What does Leviathan-sama know that I don’t?_

All things considered, Leviathan probably knew far more than Cloud himself could ever comprehend or dream of knowing. Being the most intelligent and sophisticated AI in all of creation came with perks like that. 

But this was something else. Normally what Leviathan-sama ordered made sense to him. Perhaps it wasn’t the AI’s intentional sense all the time, but it was sense all the same. This situation with Oozora Yuujin? That was something else altogether. 

He should simply have been disposed of without hesitation. And yet… 

Cloud ran more than one test, though he had the information directed elsewhere. He didn’t think he could hide this from his master and he wouldn’t really have considered trying. He just wanted to check deeper when he had more time. 

Though he knew full well that he might not have that time until this nonsense with the Appli Drivers completely resolved itself. Discovering their buddies more or less alive and well annoyed him but he still had faith that Leviathan-sama would arise victorious ultimately anyway. 

Cloud gleefully anticipated the day when that would finally occur. He knew the spread of L-Corp’s operating system would help with that. There were other small projects floating around that would assist as well: some of them openly to do with L-Corp, but many more hidden beneath the surface, where only those who aware of Leviathan’s nature as an AI would know them. 

And not even all of those. 

Even he didn’t know everything to do with Leviathan’s ultimate plan, but that didn’t bother him. Leviathan would let him know what he needed to know, once the time was right that he _should_ know. 

He’d trusted Leviathan for a very long time and he saw no reason to change that. 

Once he’d finished all of the testing, he spoke. “Stand up.” 

Oozora Yuujin did so, moving with a silent grace that many boys of his age, still not finished growing and not yet used to how their bodies worked, would have envied. He turned to look at Cloud, an odd look to his eyes that Cloud didn’t think he’d ever seen before. 

Was that a hint of red in the very back? Cloud started to take a better look. 

“Is that all you wanted?” Oozora Yuujin asked, some quality in his voice that stirred thoughts Cloud didn’t understand, ones that involved Leviathan and fear. 

He refocused his attention on what was going on in front of him and glanced back to Charismon, who’d stood there all this time, making certain Oozora didn’t do anything that they could find inconvenient. 

“Would you take him back to his cell?” Cloud requested. He would have much preferred asking more questions, perhaps finding out why being so close to the child made him think of Leviathan, but he had other matters that he needed to take care of. Some of those included the other Drivers, and he saw no reason to let Oozora find out they were involved again as of yet. 

But as Charismon dragged the child out, Cloud made a point to make a backup of his secondary scans available at home. 

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** I think it’s time we spun around to Yuujin again, don’t you?


	11. Chapter 11

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 7,700|| **Chapter Word Count:** 11/22

* * *

Yuujin felt more than saw the door close. He’d had his back to it anyway, so that didn’t worry him. 

What worried him was that he scarcely remembered what happened in the first place. He’d been asleep, drifted off in an attempt to escape the hunger that kept clawing at him, when movement woke him and he found himself in Charismon’s grip, being taken out of the cell. 

He didn’t have the opportunity to ask what was going on or to worry about Offmon. Just like before, his lips and throat refused to operate properly and he remained silent. 

It was probably just as well. Charismon didn’t seem inclined to talk – which confused Yuujin since wasn’t he supposed to be able to brainwash people or something? - but he brought Yuujin right away to a room he didn’t recognize. There wasn’t much in there _to_ recognize anyway, just a long white table and four white walls. 

Charismon set him down on the table, admonished him not to move, and stepped out of sight. Yuujin couldn’t have moved if he’d wanted to: which he did. He wanted to open his eyes and leap to his feet and run, to find Offmon and find a way out, find his way back to Haru. 

And yet he stayed where he was, eyes closed, breathing quietly, doing nothing at all while he heard only the faintest hints of noise elsewhere. What he heard sounded close enough that he _should_ have heard it clearly and yet he didn’t. What he heard came to him as nothing more than vague mumbles. 

He tried to rest, to not let himself worry about it too much. Whatever they were doing couldn’t be any different from what Biomon had done. It might even make more sense. At least that was what he wanted to hope. 

If he strained very hard he could see what looked human-shaped not that far away. Oh. That was right. Leviathan did have a human servant, didn’t he? Yuujin wasn’t sure if he remembered correctly or not. Was that the fifth he’d heard before? 

Perhaps it didn’t matter. Nothing all that terribly wrong was happening. He had no idea of what they were looking for right now, only that they weren’t getting angry over not finding it, at least not at him. 

_If they get angry at each other, I don’t care._ And he didn’t. It would probably give Haru and the others a better chance of defeating them, sooner or later. 

But now that scanning, whatever it was for, was done, and he was back in his cell with Offmon. Offmon hurried over even as the door closed, wrapping his arms around Yuujin’s leg. 

“They didn’t hurt you?” 

Yuujin had to hold back a small laugh at that, since they both asked the question at the same time. It only now dawned on him that they could have hurt Offmon while he was gone, and the fact it hadn’t occurred to him sooner worried him. Nothing at all had been right about the way his brain worked since ending up in this predicament. And yet he still couldn’t bring himself to be upset about it. Haru would come. Haru would take him out of here. That was all he really needed to worry about: how long it would take Haru to do this. 

Offmon shook his head. “No one else even came in here.” He stared worriedly up at Yuujin. “What happened to you?” 

“Nothing, really. I think they don’t know much about humans. That’s all.” It was all he could think of for why they did what they did. Why they would want to find out more was one of those things that eluded him, though he wondered if it had something to do with the finer details of whatever Leviathan’s ultimate plan was. 

Whatever it was, as he settled back against the wall with Offmon in his lap once again, what really caught his attention more than anything else was the simple fact his stomach wasn’t aching with hunger anymore. It wasn’t as if he’d eaten and forgotten it. Only that there wasn’t any hunger or thirst at all. 

Very strange indeed. 

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** Obviously Yuujin can’t starve to death. But if he goes too long without eating, even he might notice something is off. But why don’t we let Leviathan deal with that, in chapter 12?


	12. Chapter 12

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 8,400|| **Chapter Count:** 12/22

* * *

Leviathan hadn’t expected too much real information that he didn’t already know from this scan. Everything seemed the way that it should have been. YJ-14 worked flawlessly, as he always had. The few minor points of information Leviathan hadn’t already known involved what it was like to live among humans, and focused especially on Shinkai Haru. 

There were other points that needed to be dealt with, though. Leviathan retained access to everything that made up YJ-14, with or without his android’s knowledge of such. He’d put that to use ever since the ‘capture’ - Leviathan didn’t think of it as such himself, since YJ-14 belonged to him regardless. 

Perhaps a ‘temporary detention’ would be a better choice of wording, though Leviathan saw no reason to inform anyone else of this himself. But he preferred precision in what he did, even if no one else knew what he referred to. 

Regardless; ever since then, he’d made certain that YJ-14 could only move to the degree that he chose to allow it. He would not allow an early release, either. 

Leviathan would have much preferred it if he weren’t released at all, and could take a more active part in advancing Leviathan’s own cause. If it weren’t for the point of Shinkai Haru still being alive and focusing his efforts on ‘rescuing Oozora Yuujin’, then he would have erased every part of YJ-14 that considered itself Oozora Yuujin to start with. Much easier to deal with. 

For now, however, the best that he could do was restrict YJ-14’s movement and awareness of being an android. While the knowledge of his origin hadn’t been put into him and false memories of being human _had_ , YJ-14 was more than intelligent enough to be aware of how he differed from humans if certain points weren’t adhered to. 

Such as the concepts of hunger and thirst. Those Leviathan had picked up on, to some extent, from Katsura Hajime and his minions at L-Corp. Humans did indeed need to eat and drink. So his android utterly believed that _he_ needed to eat and drink, and when he’d gone the specified time without, certain programs activated to produce the expected results. 

At least they normally would, and had been. Once it occurred to Leviathan this would be happening here and now, he saw no reason at all for it to continue. YJ-14 wasn’t in a place where he would be noticed as having gone without sustenance for too long. Why go to the effort? A simple tweak to some of his programs and the sensations of hunger and thirst were eliminated altogether. 

But that did bring up another option that Leviathan realized he needed to consider: while there wasn’t anyone else who would notice if YJ-14 didn’t eat or drink, the android himself would. Since he still considered himself human, if it truly sank into him that he hadn’t followed the usual human cycle of eating but showed no ill effects from it… 

_Another patch._ That wasn’t difficult to implement: modified memories yet again, this time triggering the sensations of having eaten. Leviathan knew enough of human culture not to implement the memories of _good_ food. A prisoner wouldn’t have good food. Therefore, he installed recollections of simple tasteless gruel and plain water. 

He didn’t see the point of having all those tastes anyway. One only needed what would give the required energy and nothing more. But this would also back up the story of being a captive, should YJ-14 need to speak to Shinkai Haru about his ‘ordeal’. 

For the sake of accuracy, Leviathan also reviewed YJ-14’s memories of everything since that moment of detention. Nothing at all could be allowed to be retained that might reveal any hint of his plans before the moment Leviathan had chosen. 

Leviathan didn’t often experience, let alone understand, human humor, but as he worked casually through YJ-14’s memories of this experience, he almost wished that he could revise all of them to give the android the memory of having had an interesting vacation with his ‘father’ instead of being held here. It would be interesting to see the results. 

Perhaps in the future. Before the human world no longer existed. 

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** Leviathan  & YJ-14/Yuujin on a father/son outing…


	13. Chapter 13

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 9,100|| **Chapter Count:** 13/22

* * *

Offmon refused to do anything but stare at the wall that turned into a door whenever someone from the outside came near it. He was alone. He’d been alone here since Charismon reached in and grabbed hold of Yuujin. 

_They’ll bring him back. They have to._

Offmon reminded himself of that as often as he started to worry that he might not see Yuujin again. That was more times than he wanted to think about. 

He’d been alone almost his entire life, ever since offline games were a _thing_. Now he had Yuujin and he didn’t want to ever _not_ have Yuujin. 

So if anything happened to him, Offmon promised himself that he would do something to put it right. Exactly what he would do he hadn’t made up his mind yet. If he couldn’t become Shutmon without Yuujin, then he would find a way around it. 

He didn’t like the way he wanted to destroy everything as Shutmon. Only Yuujin kept him calm when he was at that point. So if the Ultimate Four and Leviathan took Yuujin away from him? They would pay for it. 

The longer Yuujin wasn’t there, the more Offmon wanted to be able to become Shutmon and just start shutting everything down. What were they doing to him out there? Why did they do anything that they couldn’t do in here? 

None of this made any sense and Offmon above all else wanted it to stop so they could go home and have a good dinner and sleep. 

Yuujin had made a comfortable bed for him at home. It was better than any other place to sleep Offmon had ever encountered: a basket just a little bigger than he was, with a comfortable cushion on the inside, and a warm blanket on top that Yuujin always made certain to tuck in over him when they went to sleep. The first time he’d seen it, Offmon wasn’t ashamed to admit that he’d happily squealed. 

“This is mine? Really?” 

Yuujin’s smile warmed him from the inside out. “Of course it is. Let me know what else you’d like.” 

Offmon wished he had the basket with them right now. The room itself was barely big enough to take half a dozen steps in all the way around, and while cuddling up to Yuujin remained pleasant, especially since it seemed to comfort his buddy as well, it wasn’t at all like being at home. 

The basket wasn’t even close to everything that Offmon wanted. A good meal for both of them and being let out of here remained at the top of the list. To never see any of these bad Appmon again came right underneath that. 

The door opened. Yuujin stood there. Offmon got up, thrilled to see him again, and froze where he was. Yuujin didn’t look _right_. He stood stiff and unmoving, and his eyes...they weren’t like the usual warm Yuujin eyes. They were distant and emotionless, with a tiny flicker of red. 

Then the door closed and Yuujin blinked, focused on him, and he smiled. Just like Yuujin always smiled. 

Offmon didn’t know what to think. Were they doing things to him? Had they done something to him? 

But for now he didn’t care; he’d work it out later. He glomped onto Yuujin’s leg, too glad to see him back for anything else to matter. 

Soon enough they were both cuddled on the floor again. Offmon noticed that the sounds of Yuujin’s rumbling stomach from earlier weren’t there anymore. 

“Did they feed you?” Offmon wondered. Humans needed food a lot more than Appmon did. If he didn’t eat, he’d just go back to his chip form. Humans couldn’t do that. 

Yuujin frowned, eyes closed in thought for a few moments. “I think so. It wasn’t really good, though. Some kind of a gruel.” He cracked his eyes open to look down at his stomach. “I hope mom doesn’t worry too much.” 

“Haru probably told her something?” Offmon suggested, wanting to cheer Yuujin up. “She’ll be all right and we’ll be out of here soon.” 

Offmon wanted to believe that with every scrap of his heart and he knew Yuujin did too. 

So they waited. 

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** On the downward side now! Which means time to start building to the rescue.


	14. Chapter 14

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 9,800|| **Chapter Count:** 14/22

* * *

YJ-14 closed most of his awareness down, keeping only the tiniest hint of it active. It would be enough to watch what was going on and ensure that Leviathan knew of it. Leviathan needed to know everything and it was YJ-14’s task to see to it that he _did_ know everything, at least where his personal territory extended. Which more or less covered Shinkai Haru and the other Appli Drivers. 

Mostly Shinkai Haru. YJ-14 did all within his power not just to protect Haru but to be his friend and to see to it that he made it out of every difficulty with the least amount of harm. And he had to do all of that without revealing that he was an android or that he served Leviathan in the first place. 

He had no idea of when he would be ordered to cease his deception or what might happen after that. Leviathan saw no need to let him know and he didn’t object to not knowing. He saw no reason to object. He would be told in due course. 

Until then, whichever part of his consciousness remained active had an unchangeable goal: protect Haru at all costs. That, of course, was how he wound up here in the first place. He would come to no lasting harm. Leviathan made certain of that from the first moments after the AR field gate closed. Regardless of what the Ultimate Four wanted. 

The way humans saw it, he would outrank them regardless. While they all served Leviathan, he’d been directly created by the grand AI, with a goal that would lead unerringly to Leviathan’s triumph. While the Four’s mission had been doomed to failure from the beginning. 

He knew what they didn’t: that should the Appli Drivers be able to achieve God Grade, it would only be with the chips of the Ultimate Four. That was why those particular four had been chosen. 

This information, of course, would have to be kept hidden until a more suitable time. The Appli Drivers didn’t need to know until, or unless, they became able to achieve God Grade. The Ultimate Four didn’t need to know at all. 

YJ-14 didn’t _desire_ to know things, save as they related to the mission assigned by Leviathan. Virtually everything he needed to know for that he already knew, though most of it he couldn’t put into proper use as of yet. The time would come. He didn’t get impatient. If he’d thought about it, he might possibly have considered trying to be. It didn’t relate to his mission, so aside from the vaguest curiosity about being impatient in and of itself, YJ-14 didn’t consider it. 

That was how most emotions existed for him. If he didn’t need them, he didn’t waste his time indulging in them. Actions were covered under that as well; when Shinkai Haru started to spend more time with the other Appli Drivers, then YJ-14 – or Yuujin, there wasn’t much to differ them at that point – indulged himself in sports and recreations and spending time with others: because that was what someone like he would do if their best friend began to reach out in other directions. 

But the whole time he’d watched. YJ-14 watched the bond between humans and Appmon became ever stronger. Part of him didn’t understand it. Part of him – the part labeled simply as _Oozora Yuujin_ \- yearned to share it. 

Yuujin had, of course, known about the Appmon all along. He’d seen Gatchmon with Haru almost from the beginning. YJ-14 knew even before that. 

They were not two personas. This came under items that YJ-14 rarely thought of, and he knew quite well that Yuujin thought of it not at all. Yuujin had no awareness of YJ-14’s existence or his own nature. The two programs occupied the same body, though with Yuujin having more control, while YJ-14 observed, recorded, and passed it all along to Leviathan. 

And when this was over, he would pass more information, until Shinkai Haru and the Appli Drivers weren’t needed anymore, and Leviathan would establish his dominance over the entire world. 

YJ-14 suspected that once his own usefulness ended, he would be no more as well. 

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** I wasn’t sure about the POV for this chapter, and then… YJ-14 (as opposed to Yuujin) wanted a say.


	15. Chapter 15

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 10,500|| **Chapter Count:** 15/22

* * *

Rei hadn’t yet decided when he would tell Haru about the anomalies in Oozora Yuujin’s background. Part of him wanted to do it soon. Perhaps before they located him. It would be better to take care of it when Oozora wasn’t around to offer whatever sort of explanation he had stored up for it. 

The existence of those anomalies didn’t quite jibe with what Rei knew of Oozora, though. Everything he _had_ been able to pick up, and everything he’d seen from Oozora personally, indicated that he wasn’t at all the type to disguise his background. Nor would there be any reason for it. 

And yet there the evidence was, reason or not. 

Rei wanted answers. He hated unsolved mysteries, lies, and confusion of every kind. And everything he learned about Oozora Yuujin told him all of those were involved with him. Exactly to what degree and why were all part of that. 

_Why would he do that to Haru?_ Everything else he’d found out also indicated that the friendship between the two was the real deal. Haru certainly believed it was; Rei could tell that even without having to inform Haru of the discrepancies. That belief was yet another reason why Rei hesitated. 

Under normal circumstances, Haru remained one of the most even tempered of people, even when he chose to believe in someone who had done nothing but hurt him. 

Rei knew that from personal experience. 

But to raise a hand against someone he genuinely cared about? To speak against them without more proof than he genuinely had at the moment. 

He would do it; Rei knew himself well enough for that. _When_ he would do it and exactly what he would reveal depended heavily on what they found and _when_ they found Oozora. 

That whole situation bothered Rei more than anything else had recently, save the confusion and lies surrounding Hajime’s disappearance. He couldn’t figure out any actual reason why Oozora would have concealed his past, or why someone else might have done it for him. 

If he could figure out the answer to that, then he would at least have more information to bring to Haru, enough that Haru might listen and do something about it. 

The problem at that point, however, was that Rei didn’t know enough to guess what _could_ be done in the first place. Whatever Oozora was hiding, it wasn’t entirely impossible for it to be innocent. Research told him that Oozora’s mother was divorced and almost no information was available about his father. He knew she worked for L-Corp – which definitely got his attention but wasn’t inherently evil or suspicious – but exactly what her position was he couldn’t figure out. Just being a programmer wasn’t enough. L-Corp had a _lot_ of programmers. 

It wasn’t impossible that the concealing of Oozora’s past was his mother’s doing, to ensure that his father, whomsoever he was, didn’t find where they were. Rei disliked his own relatives to the point he’d done something similar, making certain that they couldn’t get in between him and Hajime. He knew he wasn’t the first or the only person to decide to cut virtually all family ties. And yet he still couldn’t entirely be comfortable about this. 

Mostly because despite his best efforts, he couldn’t find a marriage certificate for Oozora’s mother, and the birth certificate for Oozora himself was one of those items that didn’t ring true when peered at more closely. These were only minor flaws, to the point most people would write it off as the result of substandard work, perhaps involving switching the certificates from paper to digital. It wouldn’t at all be the first time. 

But Rei wasn’t most people and this _bothered_ him to the point it was almost as important as his search for Hajime. 

_Once we find him_ , he assured himself. _Once we find Oozora and know what Leviathan and the Ultimate Four did to him. Then I’ll know what to tell Haru._

He wanted to find Oozora alive, but honestly...he wanted to find him hurt in some fashion. Because if he were unharmed entirely, then it brought up the question of _why_

And that was a question without an answer. 

**To be Continued**

**Notes:** I’d almost forgotten I had one more Rei POV in mind. Call this one what’s going on in the back of his mind as they head to find their Appmon again.


	16. Chapter 16

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 11,200|| **Chapter Count:** 16/22

* * *

Yuujin sagged against the wall, his thoughts wandering vaguely from one spot to another. He didn’t know what else to do. All he’d managed to gather from all this time was that he was in Charismon’s place, Charisma Castle, and that the Ultimate Four and Cloud had some kind of plan going on. He couldn’t guess at anything else with any form of certainty. 

He’d at least gathered that he and Offmon were being kept as bait and that Leviathan wanted them kept unharmed because of that. Which he _still_ hadn’t figured out why and that worried him more than anything else had. 

Second on the list of what worried him was what his mom was thinking about him being gone all this time. It _had_ to have been days. Time still didn’t feel right here but he’d been gone so long she had to have worried. What could Haru have told her that would keep her from worrying? 

There really wasn’t anything. He couldn’t tell her that Yuujin had saved them from the Four and been captured and they were going to get him back. At least he hoped that they would be getting him back. 

So she would worry, a lot. And when he did get back, he would have so much explaining to do. 

_I hope she doesn’t try to call the authorities._ He didn’t have a clue on what he would do if she did. How _could_ he explain this? How could he make any sort of sense out of it when she didn’t know anything at all about Appmon or Leviathan? 

His head drooped a little more. He didn’t regret doing what he had, but it would be such a hassle to get his disappearance sorted out after this. 

Or maybe, if he got very lucky, she would be working so much that she might not even notice. That didn’t happen so much that he was willing to count on it, but if he thought about it enough, he didn’t think it was completely impossible. It just sort of depended on if she tried to call him and check in. 

Yuujin wasn’t going to personally count on that, though. He didn’t want to build up the sort of hope that would get shattered when he walked in and his mom demanded answers. So his best hope, really, was that somehow Haru _did_ come up with some kind of answer that she would accept, and that he’d get a chance to find out what the answer was before he talked to her. 

He hadn’t told her about Offmon. He wanted to think that she would understand but he still hadn’t. The others hadn’t told their parents, he gathered, and as understanding as his mom could be, he still wasn’t going to take that chance. The wrong word dropped somewhere could get them all into way more trouble than any of them would ever be ready for. 

Yuujin tried to get comfortable again. The best way for that was just to be next to Offmon, who kept himself quiet and cuddling against him ever since he’d been brought back. He didn’t want to move too much and disturb his buddy. 

_Maybe I **should** tell Mom about this._ He would like her to meet Offmon. They would get along; he was sure of it. But the thought of the danger this could put Offmon or the others in continued to hold him back. She might want to take Offmon to work and examine him. What that could mean Yuujin _really_ didn’t want to know. He loved his mom but Offmon was his buddy. 

He tried not to fidget. He wanted something to happen around here. He wanted to _do_ something. Something that wasn’t just wait around for Haru to show up. He still didn’t like the idea of Haru being put into all of that danger in the first place. But Haru would do it anyway. That was the kind of person that he was. 

_He’ll be here eventually. I won’t be here forever._ Haru would tear down the walls between worlds if he had to, and all Yuujin wished for was the chance to see it happen. 

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** Here we go again! And the story’s all finished, so regular updates until it’s all posted!


	17. Chapter 17

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 11,900|| **Chapter Count:** 17/22

* * *

She placed her cup on the table and started to turn her attention to the seat that normally held a cheerful redhead. She reminded herself sharply a heartbeat later that not only was YJ-14 not a genuine child, but he wasn’t there at all. He wouldn’t be there until Leviathan-sama released him. 

She sat down, pulling her laptop closer to her to check her e-mail. Regardless of YJ-14’s state of being or non-being, he was company of a sort. He prevented the silence from overwhelming her. 

_He’s in no danger._

The message she’d received told her very little: only that Leviathan-sama had need of him for a time. 

It wasn’t the first time that happened. He never remembered, of course. It wasn't allowed. Either it happened at night, when his memory could be edited to contain only the standard recollections of sleeping and dreaming, or when she could concoct ‘family trips’. Those were useful as covers for important visits to L-Corp. 

She thought this might be one of the last times. She knew very little about the specifics of Leviathan-sama’s plans. Her role called for her to pose as Oozora Yuujin’s mother, filling the obligations thereof, and observing his interactions with humans. 

Doing so was almost like having a child of her own. From her brief interactions with other parents, it wasn’t much different. She didn’t have to worry about YJ-14 getting sick or injured in any fashion. If any human threat showed itself, he was programmed to defend himself in such a way that no one would suspect his true nature. 

She’d seen that once before. The two of them had been out on a walk, meant to check his memory of the surrounding area, when a pair of muggers attempted to rob what they perceived as a simple mother and son. One single word changed that for them. 

“Defend.” 

In all fairness, the muggers might have suspected something was off, if the electrical shocks to their brains hadn’t been designed to eliminate short term memory. She didn’t know _what_ they would remember – that kind of precision tweaking for humans hadn’t been refined yet – but it would be nothing that could endanger YJ-14. 

She’d had to edit _his_ memory once they returned home, of course, but it had been a successful, if unexpected, test of his abilities. Her report to her superiors concerning the incident praised how he’d performed so admirably. 

She’d neglected to mention how startled he’d been when he’d electrocuted the muggers, of course, relegating it to a simple comment on how he showed expected emotional reactions to the situation. That was one of the points she watched out for. Observing how the AI reacted to humans when he thought he _was_ human proved eternally fascinating. It was one of the reasons she remained enthralled by her assignment. 

Her e-mail held no new information; she would be technically on vacation until YJ-14’s return. There would be small tasks she could do in preparation but those would take very little time. What she had to do after that remained up in the air. 

There were other matters she could take care of in the meantime that had nothing to do with the android. Cleaning and shopping came to mind. The sort of necessary tasks she’d never been good at. At least YJ-14 never complained about her lack of skill in cooking. 

He couldn’t have. She’d programmed his taste receptors to consider her food at least tolerable, and she knew enough to not burn what she cooked in the first place. For those times when she couldn't cook at all, she had the numbers for many places that delivered. He didn't complain. 

Nor, she’d noticed, did Offmon. Though he really kept to himself more than anything. She wished on occasion she could talk to him; Appmon were AI of a different sort altogether. Comparing them to YJ-14 could offer enormous breakthroughs one day. 

She would have to remind herself to be very cross with Yuujin when he returned. Some sort of punishment might be in order as well. Not that he’d done anything wrong, but precautions needed to be taken. The masquerade couldn't be broken. Not even to YJ-14. 

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** I didn’t expect to write a POV for Yuujin’s ‘mom’, but there she is?


	18. Chapter 18

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 12,600|| **chapter count:** 18/22

* * *

Yuujin flipped between wanting to get up to find a way out of his cell and wanting to just lay where he was, next to Offmon’s warmth, and wait to see what happened next. Staying where he was held the edge right now, if only because he already knew there wasn’t any way to open the door and get out of there. Even if they could, he didn’t have his Appli Drive and without that, there wasn’t any way to evolve Offmon to Shutmon, which might possibly give them an edge in the fight that would surely ensue. 

    Not to mention that he couldn’t even be certain if Offmon could get them out of here as he was. The thought had occurred to him more than once and it always ran into the same roadblocks as it did now: even if he could, the Ultimate Four wouldn’t politely sit back and let him take them on one at a time. Just like before, they would overwhelm the two of them. 

    He’d seen the horror on the others’ faces when they lost their buddies. He wasn’t going to put Offmon through that kind of pain. It didn’t matter if they could be recovered or not. Pain still hurt and he refused to hurt Offmon. Their potential escape wasn’t good enough, not when they could do better by waiting. Haru _was_ coming. 

    Yuujin refused to let that thought slide away from him. He held onto the hope with both mental hands and gripped it close to himself, calling up images of Haru in his mind. He could hardly wait to see them all again. Even Rei, with his distance and the way he gave Yuujin cautious, mistrustful looks. 

    Yuujin didn’t mind that Rei didn’t trust him. He wasn’t always sure if he trusted Rei. Rei was a hacker; Rei made no secret of that fact, either. After all these years of living with his mom and hearing her occasional complaint about annoying hackers making her job that much harder, he found it difficult to trust anyone who admitted doing what Rei did 

    Granted, what Rei did, he did for good causes, searching for his brother and finding a way to bring down Leviathan once and for all, but Yuujin still couldn’t fully trust him. Those cold eyes stared at him as if he suspected Yuujin of unspeakable horrors. Worse, as if he expected Yuujin to hurt Haru. 

    Yuujin refused to think about even the possibility of harm coming to Haru. He knew it could happen; it had happened before he learned about Appmon. But the idea of doing so himself sent shudders of terror all through him. Haru was his best friend. 

    Haru was everything to him. Haru was amazing and strong and courageous and Yuujin didn’t think there were enough words in all the languages of the world to detail out Haru’s best qualities. 

    He had bad ones, of course, such as his lack of full belief in himself, but Yuujin believed it was his responsibility as Haru’s best friend to see the parts of Haru that Haru himself ignored. Someone had to do it and while the other Appli Drivers clearly did appreciate Haru, they didn’t know him down to the core the way that Yuujin did. 

    So whatever Rei believed, he was wrong about it. Yuujin would die before he willingly hurt Haru. That had been his Driver Question, hadn’t it? There’d never been a question on what the answer had been, let alone _who_ the friend he would give up his life for was. 

    Yuujin didn’t want to die. But if it came to himself or Haru, he’d made the decision on that ages ago and nothing at all had happened since then to change his mind on that score. If anything, his resolve deepened. 

    All he could really hope for in that instance was that Haru would take care of Offmon afterward. He didn’t know what would happen to a Buddy Appmon whose human partner died. As far as he knew, it hadn’t ever happened before. But he thought he could trust Haru on that score. 

    Just like he could trust Haru to come for them now. 

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** Gee, I wonder why Rei doesn’t trust him~


	19. Chapter 19

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 13,300|| **Chapter Count:** 19/22

* * *

There hadn’t been time to check on the information that he’d borrowed. Cloud refused to think of it as ‘stolen’. He remained unswervingly loyal to Leviathan-sama and would never steal from him. He’d diverted a copy of those scans to his personal files not for any wrong reasons, but to gain more information that could help him advance Leviathan-sama’s greater plans. 

He just didn’t want Leviathan-sama or any of the Four to know that he’d diverted them in the first place. He could probably talk the Appmon around if he really needed to. He was every bit as persusasive as Charismon when the time came for it.     

The problem on that score was that the Four might not wait around to be persuaded in the first place. It wasn’t unlikely that if one of them found out, they would simply destroy him, report to Leviathan=sama that they’d uncovered him as a traitor, annd go on about their day without a shred of concern.    

And he wasn’t a traitor! He’d done nothing wrong at all. There couldn’t be anything in those results that would be that impressive, could there? Perhaps the answer to why Leviathan-sama wanted the boy unharmed at most? And even that couldn’t be very distressing, could it? 

He wanted to have the time to check it out. Try as he might, the logic of letting their only surviving – at the moment – enemy continue to live escaped him. Bait was the only answer he could currently see. But even that wasn’t entirely plausible. There wasn’t any reason they could not _lie_ about still having him to lure the others to a final, permanent doom. 

That Haru boy would run gleefully into such a trap. And probably be grateful for the opportunity to do so at that. 

It was friendship. Or what they called friendship. Cloud hadn’t ever experienced anything of that nature. He’d never met a human in his entire life that he would have given up anything for, let alone _everything_. What Oozora Yuujin himself had done remained incomprehensible to him. Rescue his allies, yes. That made sense, even though it wouldn’t do any good in the long run. Leviathan-sama’s eventual rule over the world remained inevitable. Saving them would do nothing. 

But to rescue his allies in such a way that he himself was sacrified? Putting his own life at risk? And it _had_ been a risk. Cloud reviewed the footage of that battle and he’d noticed this: Oozora Yuujin could have rescued them all and fled as well. There was a chance he wouldn’t have made it; the Four were very fast and very powerful. But it could have happened. 

Which led to the consideration that perhaps he’d somehow _chosen_ this? That in itself led to the very confusing concept of self-sacrifice and there Cloud had to wonder all over again about the whys and ifs and whatfors. 

He wanted to think the answer lay in the scans they’d done. While they would not reveal whatever the boy had been thinking, they might at least hint at something that could give a clue. Perhaps something that could even give him a good reason to question the child himself. Other than that one bothersome question, there wasn’t anything Cloud wished to know that he thought Oozora Yuujin would have any way to answer. 

Awareness came without warning, a sense that someone observed him: a sense that he lived with almost constantly. Leviathan’s sigil appeared before him. 

**Have Oozora Yuujin moved. There will be combat and he is not to be harmed.**

Cloud bent his head at once. “It shall be done.” Despite his curiosity about the situation, he would obey. The command only made sense. Right now their captives were held in one of the deep dungeons, behind a wild maze of confusing corridors, where no one who didn’t know the route through could find him. It would also risk his life in the case of battle and whatever those unknown reasons were, Leviathan-sama didn’t want that. 

He started to ask outright what Leviathan-sama’s reasons were, and then didn’t. Leviathan-sama would tell him when the time was right. 

Assuming, of course, he didn’t learn it for himself. 

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** Almost to the end! (No, Cloud isn’t going to learn anything he shouldn’t. Leviathan will explain why in another couple of chapters.)


	20. Chapter 20

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 14,000|| **Chapter Count:** 20/22

* * *

If _one_ more thing happened that confused or bewildered Yuujin, along with not being able to do anything about it, he...didn’t know what he would do other than be very annoyed about it all. One thing he’d learned fast here was that when the Ultimate Four wanted to keep someone, then at least if that person was him, then he was _kept_. 

Exactly why he got shifted to a different cell he hadn’t yet figured out. It was the latest confusing thing in a long list of confusing things, most of which started with him not having been killed in the first place. 

_Don’t feel like complaining about it, but I’d still like to know why._ He couldn’t shake the worry that Leviathan concealed some twisted plan behind all of this, one that would hurt Haru and the others, using him to do it. 

Something that might well have been a faint laugh echoed inside of his head. Yuujin jerked around, trying to figure out where it came from, his heart in his throat. A quick look down at Offmon told him his Buddy hadn’t heard a thing. Or at least wasn’t reacting to it if he had. 

_Did I really hear that?_ He didn’t think he’d been here so long that he was starting to hallucinate. 

**No. You haven’t.**

Yuujin’s heart skipped a beat. The voice wasn’t one he recognized, but it also wasn’t one he could call utterly unfamililar, either. He swallowed. That wasn’t right, either. It _couldn’t_ be the first voice that came to mind. 

**I speak only to you at this moment. Offmon cannot hear me. Nor would anyone else if they were here.**

Yuujin twitched. Before he could speak, the voice interrupted. 

**You need not speak aloud. Shape what you would say and I will know. I know all that lies within your mind already.**

That didn’t make Yuujin feel any better. He raised his head and squared his shoulders the best that he could while being chained to the wall. 

_What do you want with us, Leviathan?_

**I want you and Offmon reunited with your friends.**

Yuujin shook his head a bit. _No, you don’t. If you did, you’d let us go._ He would have thought the most intelligent AI in the world could come up with a better lie than that. Or could AIs lie at all? He’d never even thought about it. Maybe it was time to find out? 

Leviathan’s presence seemed amused. At least Yuujin got the impression that it was amused. 

**I calculated for your disbelief. You will learn the truth in the proper order of matters. But you wish to know why I will not have you disposed of.**

Yuujin confined himself to a brief nod. 

**Because doing so would serve me no purpose. I have a greater task than death slated for you.**

The very thought of doing anything Leviathan wanted sent horror crawling up Yuujin’s spine. It grew even more when he could feel Leviathan being pleased at that. It made no sense at all, much like everything else, and he wanted to demand more. More answers, more information, more everything. 

Leviathan apparently had other plans. 

**It will be better for you if you rest now. Shinkai Haru will be here shortly and I’m certain that you wish to see him again.**

Hearing Leviathan speak – if that was even the right word – Haru’s name tripled the terror and quadrupled Yuujin’s rage. How _dare_ Leviathan even know it, let alone say it! 

**Why should I not know my enemy?** Another flicker of amusement. **But rest is required of you now.**

Yuujin struggled to keep his eyes open. But regardless of his best efforts, they closed, and he could feel his awareness of what was going on fading away as sleep stole over him. 

He would have to tell Haru about this, he told himself in the last moments of awareness. Haru would need to know that Leviathan was aware of him, of all of them, and that Leviathan had some sort of plan in mind. 

As he faded, he could feel Leviathan watching and his last conscious thought was to wonder anew why Leviathan sounded like his father. 

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** Gee, Yuujin, I wonder~


	21. Chapter 21

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 14,700|| **Chapter Count:** 21/22

* * *

Leviathan spent many years observing humans and their interactions with one another, including how their families reacted to one another. He didn’t completely understand all that he’d seen, but he did gather that fathers should be proud of their sons when those sons accomplished certain goals. 

YJ-14 definitely sparked the ghosts of such pride. Granted, he’d simply done what Leviathan programmed him to do and nothing more, but that pride existed nonetheless. Leviathan allotted some time in the future to examine this emotion – he thought it was an emotion – but it could wait until after the rest of his plans came to fruittion. 

For now, however, it was time for YJ-14 to return to the human world and resume his main function of observing Shinkai Haru and preparing for the upcoming search for Bootmon. There remained one more preparation to make before he was ‘rescued’, of course, and for that he’d lulled ‘Oozora Yuujin’ into a near comatose state. 

It would have been much easier to simply turn him off for the few necessary moments, but Leviathan found he’d wanted those few moments for himself. He seldom interacted with the ‘Oozora Yuujin’ part of YJ-14’s programming and found it mildly interesting. Almost, for a few moments, as if he interacted with a human. He hadn’t needed to do that for some time, but it remained interesting. 

But now he focused on the actual purpose of the interaction: installing Deusmon’s chip. It would be extremely vital in the future, once Bootmon had been captured. This would be YJ-14’s primary goal for the next span of time. Something else did need to happen first that it was unlikely YJ-14 would be overtly involved in. But once Katsura Hajime told them of Bootmon, the final stage would be ready to begin. 

The installation took almost no time and Leviathan ensured YJ-14’s arm was safely resealed afterwards. Under no circumstances did he want his creation to learn what he was until the time was right. 

Once the task was done, he regarded YJ-14 for a few heartbeats. Soon enough there would be no more humans. His android son would be useful as a pair of hands at that point, and no more. Even afterwards, hands and feet in the human style could be useful on occasion. 

Though no humans would be. They could be far too annoying, more so than they were useful. Even the ones he’d raised and trained from a young age frequently were: such as Cloud. The human already thought that he could learn information that had been barred from him without any consequences. 

That wouldn’t be allowed, of course. Cloud had been useful up until this point, and might have been useful for a short time ahead, but the attempt to learn about YJ-14’s true nature could not go unpunished. He would be removed from his position as head of L-Corp, presuming that he survived the battle against the Appli Drivers. Leviathan estimated there was a very low chance of that happening, but a chance did exist. 

And just in case that low chance came to pass, Leviathan made certain to erase the information that Cloud diverted, leaving behind his own sigil to make certain Cloud knew he’d been fully aware of his actions the whole time. That was all that would be necessary from that point. Cloud would know better than to do anything else and would quietly accept his fate. 

If only that could be said of all humans. They would resist Leviathan’s goals, despite how this would lead to peace and harmony all throughout the world. But for all their resisting, they would fall into place. It would take adjustment and in the end, everyone would be much happier for it. 

Satisifed with all of his work, Leviathan allowed YJ-14 to rest and withdrew his awareness from the cell. Soon enough the ‘rescue’ would happen, and then the next stage would begin. This had been an interesting span of time, and useful as well. But it was always useful to spend time with one’s offspring. That was one point the humans did have right, rare as such might be. 

YJ-14 was a son worth being proud of. 

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** And just one chapter left!


	22. Chapter 22

**Word Count:** chapter: 700||story: 15,400|| **Chapter Count:** 22/22

* * *

“Yuujin! Yuujin!” 

His arms hurt. His legs hurt. 

His _everything_ hurt. His head spun in the most unpleasant way he could have imagined, if he’d ever imagiined it spinning at all. He thought if it didn’t slow down, he was probably going to throw up. From the way his stomach churned and cramped, he wouldn’t have been surprised if he did anyway. 

“ _Yuujin_!” 

Slowly he lifted his head, his vision clearing, if not very much. Enough so he could see around himself and that brought back memory of where he was and what had been going on. 

Charisma Castle. Or what was left of it, given the ruins he could see in every direction. The door to what had been his cell hung off the hinges, and brilliant light flowed everywhere. A glimpse of gray told him Offmon was right next to him. The portion of wall they were chained too remained solid, keeping them in place for now. 

Then it clicked. He’d heard a voice. _That_ voice. He swallowed and tried to speak. 

“Haru?” 

It wasn’t very loud. He didn’t think he would have been able to hear it himself. So he tried again, his throat scratchy and unsure. 

“Haru!” 

Surprised cries, ones that he recognized now that they were closer. Astra and Eri! Their Buddies! 

And Haru. Haru. 

His heart beat faster at the sound, especially as they drew closer. Then he could see them! Haru in the doorway, tossing aside the wreck of the door as if it were nothing more than a broken piece of wood instead of something very like stone. 

“Yuujin!” For a heartbeat Haru stood there, staring at him, a glorious smile wreathing his lips. Then he flung himself forward and wr apped his arms around Yuujin. “You’re all right! You’re all right!” He buried his head against Yuujin’s stomach. “ _Are_ you all right?” 

Yuujin would have hugged Haru if he could have. “Yeah. I’m all right.” He thought he was. He couldn’t remember anything too bad happening. Just a lot of confusion and being terrified something _would_ happen. But he was all right. Offmon was all right. 

Haru gripped him even tighter, to the point Yuujin coughed, unable to breathe. He gasped, trying to convey this to Haru. It took a few moments before Haru finally stepped back, staring at him, tears dripping down his cheeks. Yuujin stared at him, realizing only now that bruises littered Haru’s face and arms and probably more. 

“What happened to you?” He asked, staring. Haru shrugged, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. 

“Nothing I wouldn’t do all over again. Come on. Let’s get you out of there.” Haru stared at the shackles before he glanced down to Gatchmon. “Where are the keys?” 

“Who cares?” Rei grumped, stalking up. He gave the wall remnants one of his better scornful looks – which by rights should have disintegrated the wall and the shackles all by itself – and then delivered a precision kick. The wall shuddered once, twice, and then collapsed, dropping into a pile of rubble. Yuujin and Offmon collapsed as well, with Haru following a heartbeat later, gathering Yuujin up and holding him. 

“I was _worried_ about you,” he whispered. Yuujin wrapped his arms around Haru, wishing he had enough strength to hold Haru as much as he wanted to. 

“I missed you, too,” Yuujin murmured, wishing also that his legs would support him enough so he could stand up. Walking would come after that. One thing at a time. 

He could feel Rei still staring at him and if he’d had the strength, he would have asked what the problem was. But the hacker turned and walked away in silence, and Yuujin found all that he really wanted right now was to go home anyway. 

Go home, tuck Offmon into his basket, himself into his bed, and sleep for ten or fifteen hours. He’d slept here, but it wasn’t nearly as restful as what he’d get at home. 

And he wanted to eat his mom’s cooking too. 

He still had no idea of how long he’d been gone. He had so much to catch up on. 

But it was time now to go home. 

**The End**

**Notes:** So that’s the end. I hope you enjoyed it. I know I did. If you want to imagine a kiss between Haru and Yuujin at any point, I highly encourage that.


End file.
